


Mindfulness

by Icce_Berry



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Be ready for the feels, Brainwashing, Contentment, Death, Defiance, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff, Her Story, Loyalty, Peace, Pearl's backstory, Rebellion, Romance, and Sadness too, happiness, you'll need to be ready
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-08-14 05:17:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 16,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7999975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icce_Berry/pseuds/Icce_Berry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of the Pearl we know, with extra deceit, betrayal, sadness, anger, and of course, love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new gem, her purpose is the same as every other gem like her, so why is she different? A mistake, or a miracle?

“A present to you, one diamond to another. After that… accident with the last one, you should really keep an eye on her.” Yellow Diamond’s voice rang out. Pearl’s diamond nodded and smiled slightly, before her gaze returning to the pearl in front of her.  
Pearl looked up to meet her stare, before her ‘coding’ replaced free will and her eyes looked sharply at the floor again. Without her mind telling them to, her arms moved into the diamond salute.  
“So, my pearl, I presume you are new?”  
“Yes my diamond.”  
A large finger lifted Pearl’s chin, inspecting her face more closely.  
With a gasp, the matriarch drew away.  
“Your gemstone!”  
The finger moved back to brush aside some hair around Pearl’s gemstone.  
“What a mockery! Yellow Diamond has given me a… defective, of all things?”  
She started fiddling with equipment, a usual pearl task, to hurriedly contact the other diamond. But she stopped when a quiet voice spoke up.  
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” The pearl bit her lip and looked down at the ground again, hands moving from the salute to wring together.  
Pearl’s diamond knew how volatile new gems could be; she shouldn’t ruin everything at this early stage. But the pearl was defective, useless. So why did the matriarch feel the need to keep this little pearl. No pearl in her right mind would be so emotional in front of a diamond, but this little one’s difference was so endearing. Difference in a world where it was a sin to be your own gem, to do anything other than conform. This would be her new challenge, to train a defective, to show everyone that she was the greatest diamond, the diamond that could turn a useless, worthless rock into her very own pearl, a pearl that was worth more than any other, because she was unlike them all.  
So the matriarch pulled away from the technology to sit back in her throne. She looked down at the pearl, still looking ashamed, and clapped her hands twice.  
The pearl looked up at her, despite her body telling her not to, and she cocked her head to her side slightly, confused.  
“It means you have done a good job, and you are dismissed.”  
The pearl nodded, the command ingrained into her mind. Her very purpose was to serve, so that is what she would do. Even if she could never be anything else, she could give her existence and being to her diamond, and hope that no one would hear the voices screaming inside her head, telling her to fight, to run, to live.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are very welcome, and ideas for future chapters are too! Creativity blocks are my arch nemesis, so don't kill me if I don't update every day! I'm on holiday right now so I can write a lot so keep checking for updates, but after that I won't be able to write a lot, and the same applies to my other stories too! Enjoy!


	2. Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first step of many, but where are they taking her?

Another fist swung towards her face, and Pearl swung with it from the impact. She couldn't quite remember how she got here, she was around the grounds fetching items for important gems, and then some of them laughed and covered her mouth. They had grabbed her when no one was around, and they brought her out here. Marks and bruises covered her face and body, but the punches were too familiar to punishment from her diamond for her to fight back. Pearl staggered back against the white metallic wall of some building outside her diamond's grounds. She didn't belong here, and at least she knew that.  
She was surrounded now, and the few amethyst soldiers towering above her seemed like armies as her vision swayed, but she didn't let herself go into her gem. She had a stronger will than any other pearl she's met, and that wasn't going to betray her now.  
She grit her teeth and managed to duck as another fist appeared out of nowhere towards her head.   
"Pretty Pearly, why don't you give up?" One of her attackers sniggered.  
"Why even try? Do you want to beat us?" Another one laughed.  
They weren't in a corner, they were in plain sight, but this happened so often that no passers by bothered to help, although a few gathered around to watch, obviously bored.  
But Pearl knew that others of her type would follow any instruction given to them, including what the amethysts had said, but this pearl, this pearl was special.   
And this pearl felt a new emotion, rage. How could they have taken her away from who she was made for, where she felt safe and useful. She also felt pain, physically obviously, but the pain of knowing her beloved diamond had lost a pearl, a belonging, but not lost, she thought, just misplaced temporarily. Pearl smiled slightly at her joking thought, and it filled her with a new strength.  
In a moment she would not be able to explain later on, a shining light spread from her gemstone, illuminating the metal behind her and the her face, which was so bright but she couldn't look away. She reached up into the light and grabbed something, something tangible and solid. With a spark of confidence from goodness knows where, she looked up at the amethysts, who were looking at her, shocked. They seemed to be frozen, and the light devoured the air around it, catching the attention of every gem in a wide area around Pearl. The light vanished just like that, and Pearl was left holding a long... stick?   
No wait, she'd seen something like it before, a spear perhaps, but whatever it was, it was beautiful. The spiralled handle felt like soft marble, cool and strong, and the upper section was sharp to a point and beautiful as it curved up to the sky. It sliced the mist around her, and she held it with pride, although a little unsure, but it felt so natural to hold. It felt like a part of her was finally reattached.   
With recognition, she remembered the gems around her, who paused then shrieked and backed away, some of them running.   
A pearl? With a weapon? What was this?   
Their thoughts seemed to echo as one.   
But two gems were left watching Pearl, two gem types he had seen around the diamond grounds, and recognised their gem types; a lapis lazuli, and a rose quartz. The pink gem looked on, her eyes sparkling, and shocked. A simple pearl, so tiny and new, yet beautiful in her innocence. Her slim body and prim clothes, her face filled with defiance. The light from her spear had cast upon her, making her an angel before the pink gem's eyes.  
The blue gem however grabbed Pearls arm and threw the spear onto the ground, where is disappeared into a few flashes of light.   
"You cannot tell our diamond! Okay? She would shatter both of us!" Her menacing whisper reached Pearl's ears, but she just nodded. The lapis lazuli tried to drag her away, but Pearl wouldn't follow, her eyes fixed with the rose quartz's.   
Weren't quartzes supposed to be mean and scary?   
This one was was tall and strong but had beautiful long white robes and an explosion of glorious pink hair, flowing like water from a perfect face.  
Pearl had been told that gems weren't allowed to feel anything other than loyalty towards others.  
Rose had been told that gems weren't allowed to feel this way towards other gems.  
But it's not like that was going to stop them.


	3. Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps the dancing should have stayed a secret, but in any case, there are much bigger secrets making their way through Pearl's diamond's court

The lapis huffed and tugged at Pearl's shoulder again, regaining her attention.  
"We need to get back, now!"  
Pearl took one last look at the rose quartz, still frozen with amazement, and sighed, following the lapis back to the diamond grounds.  
All the way the blue gem lectured her, and Pearl knew she should have listened, but her gaze was still back looking at her sword, the amethysts' faces, and that rose quartz. But it didn't matter, of course she was beautiful, if she was close to Pink Diamond maybe then she would have been made in her image, and so the only real beauty, Pearl decided, could be obtained by the diamonds.  
The lapis rapped once on the massive metal door, the gem on the back of her right hand catching the light, and the door opened slightly. A small pearl stood there, looking nervously at the two as though they were going to hurt her at any moment.  
The lapis immediately stormed through to the huge room to where the diamond room was connected. But Pearl humbly waited, then stepped through the doorway, smiling at the traumatised Pearl, but unfortunately, she had never been ordered to smile and had only ever done it a few times, and the result was a bit gruesome. Pearl realised, before mouthing an apology and hurrying after the blue gem. 

They'd reached the diamond room, where Pearl's wonderful diamond sat, listening to the blue gem tell a slightly altered version of events.  
"But they were hurting her so much that I felt so bad that this was happening to a pearl in your image and the treason behind that, so my weapon formed which I never had to use but it scared them away to see a lapis with a weapon. Then I brought her straight back here with trackers attached to each of the attackers."  
She spoke so fast, but Pearl caught the bit at the end, which made her think twice about this gem. She hadn't noticed the trackers or the lapis attaching them, so she must have been good.  
But the matriarch sighed and thought for a long moment,  
"Lapis Lazuli Facet..." She looked down at one of her screens," 1A1A Cut 6LB, you are in the first facet of lapis lazulis? Only the best for my inner court! You are dismissed, go back to your duties. For your rescue of my pearl which is beyond your usual requirements as a lapis lazuli, you did well, although you must never do anything like it unless directly ordered by me to."  
"Understood." Her blue arms formed the diamond salute, and she left.  
The diamond turned back to look at her Pearl.  
"You have seen the other pearls dancing, have you not? There must be a encryption in you somewhere about how to dance."  
"Yes my diamond, I enjoy dancing when I am not serving you." And then Pearl gasped, and covered her mouth. "I'm very sorry I phrased that incorrectly my diamond, I meant to say that I have been practicing for the time when you will command me to dance like the other pearls."  
The diamond's face went from anger to suspicion, to a smile as she dismissed the original comment.  
"My pearl,"  
"Yes my diamond?"  
"Dance."  
Pearl closed her eyes, and somewhere a clever gem had listened, and music started to play. It was slow, and Pearl knew it well. Her arms twirled around her body and she spun and jumped and it was beautiful. At last the music came to an end, and the diamond seemed happy.  
"Well done, my pearl, it seems your... practice has paid off."  
She thought for a moment.  
"I do not tolerate theft in my court, especially of my closest pearl. I need a way of ensuring that this will never happen again. You cannot have a guard, although there is a small possibility that I may have you engage in some defence or avoidance lessons."  
She clapped her hands twice, and Pearl left the room.  
"You're just too important to lose, even if that means breaking your very purpose, I shall still do it."

<><><><><>

It was a short while until the trial would start for the gems convicted of stealing diamond property, or Pearl. She was waiting beside her diamond, straightening out her white leotard and silver transparent dress. She went over what the lapis had told her diamond, because that had to be the truth right now.  
A small bell rang from a gem in another room, signalling that everyone was in place, and the diamond looked down at her pearl,  
"Do not be nervous, for you can speak as you wish now, you just tell the truth and those criminals will be shattered."  
Pearl nodded, and went to take her place on a high platform in front of the crowds, and the matriarch went to sit on her chair as the centrepiece of the room, and cheering ensued.  
But the diamond raised her hand to silence them, and the room echoing was the only noise.  
"Bring in the convicted!" She ordered, and four gems were led in by chains, held by four massive Quartz soldiers, so covered in white armour that no one knew what gem type they were.  
But Pearl knew something was off, yes the lapis had changed the story a bit to... protect her, but these weren't the gems who attacked her. The chained gems were Jaspers, not Amethysts. What was the lapis doing?


	4. Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial continues, and plans start to fall apart. Who is lying? Who is protecting? Who is guilty?

Pearl's gaze followed the lapis lazuli as she walked calmly across the room to the convicts.  
"Are these the gems to whom the accusation is addressed?"  
The blue gem walked around the Jaspers, conscious of hundreds of eyes following her movements.  
"Indeed, they are definitely the same. I remember their hair and markings well.  
"Very well, proceed to take your seat."  
Her seat, however was taken up by one of the many prestigious gems spectating, so she smiled at Pearl, and went to stand close behind her.  
"What are you doing?" Pearl muttered under her breath.  
"This is the start of a rebellion, I wouldn't expect you to understand. Now stay still and don't say a word."  
And then Pearl noticed, the guards wouldn't usually wear so much armour, so who were they hiding? And the jaspers she thought she recognised from her diamond's court, were they jaspers of high importance which the lapis had picked to be shattered?  
So this was a rebellion, the lapis, the guards, and possibly members of the audience too. She had to protect her diamond.  
How could she not hurt anybody? What could she do?  
"Are these the gems who attacked you?" Her diamond asked her, as though her opinion actually mattered.  
Pearl tried to think calmly for a moment, but her mind was swarming with thoughts.  
Were they going to be shattered? Yes.  
Was she going to be shattered? Yes.  
Was there anything she could do?  
"Yes."  
Pearl exclaimed loudly.  
"Lapis Lazuli Facet 1A1A Cut 6LB, as the accuser of these gems, it is now your responsibility to shatter these criminals.  
And there it was, a flaw in her plan, the lapis had forgotten that the accuser had to shatter the criminals.  
She gasped from behind Pearl, "Help." She whispered under her breath in panic, but Pearl didn't move, she didn't know what she could do.  
"I... I can't summon my weapon yet."  
She muttered, but everyone heard.  
"What?" The diamond stood up. "You told us that you summoned your weapon to scare off these gems. Why did you lie?"  
The blue gem seemed to shrink and cowered behind Pearl.  
"My pearl, why did you not tell me?"  
Pearl thought, and as the gem behind her seemed unable to say anything, she had to take the limelight.  
"My diamond, it would not be wise to punish this lapis lazuli, for she was only trying to protect me, your property. It was me who summoned my weapon to scare away the attackers, but this kind gem tried to protect me, and took the blame to herself. I am very sorry"  
The room was deathly silent.  
"You summoned your weapon?" The matriarch spoke.  
"But... pearls don't have weapons." A watching aquamarine of high status exclaimed.  
"My pearl, if this is true, then draw your weapon and shatter these gems."  
The room turned to look at the matriarch. This was unheard of, but they couldn't say a word against her.  
Pearl took a deep breath to calm herself, and tried to replicate the feeling of light, of all the planets turning and every star lining up to this moment, and she was left holding her spear.  
She gasped, not expecting it to work, and the hundreds of gems in the hall did the same.  
She turned and started walking to the steps down, and the lapis stared at her for moment, then smiled genuinely, as a thank you and an apology. It was the first time that Pearl felt like an equal to the other gem, and that would take some consideration, but not right now.  
As she walked down the white metal stairs behind where she had been standing, feeling every eye in that room fixed on her, she tried to remember all the things she had ever been told to hold in her gemstone. She went through everything, and found a set of polished glass fake gemstones, with a few of each gem type. So she had slim chance, but of course she would try. With that, she came up with a plan.  
She walked back into the centre of the massive white hall, and stood in front of the prisoners, feeling more than a little scared. She wanted to help the lapis, but she couldn't harm these innocent jaspers. One of them looked up at her,  
"Please! You know it wasn't us! I've worked so hard to stay alive!"  
"Silence!" The diamond roared.  
The room was still, waiting for pearl to move.  
"I'm not sure... how to fight." Pearl looked up at her diamond.  
"My pearl,"  
"Yes my diamond?"  
"Dance."  
Pearl breathed out, and looked a around the room. Everyone seemed to be organised by gem type, and which diamond they followed. Her gaze wandered for a second, and her aqua-blue eyes locked with dark pink ones. So dark that they seemed black to anyone who didn't look closely. The pink diamond segment of the hall. The only rose quartz watching, and it had to be her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick thanks to lovely commenters! (and a certain s'more!)  
> I appreciate comments a lot if you have any ideas or ways I could take this!


	5. Enjoyment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl may be doing as she is told, but is she enjoying defeating gems a little too much?

No music aided her flowing movements, but her actions still followed a rhythm, a beat.  
Pearl was not a dancer in that moment; just a vessel to hold the dance as it flowed from her limbs.  
Her partner was the sword in her hand, and it moved like an extension of her arm.  
She remembered her purpose and caught sight of the chained gem in front of her. She closed her eyes, memorising everything's exact position, and spun on the point of her toe.  
She paused, eyes still closed, and thrust her spear in front of her, opening them again when she heard the 'oomph' of barely concealed pain. The guards had stepped away by this point to watch, and as the jasper gemstone fell onto the ground, she was the only one near to it.  
The mist exploded around the gem and covered everything. And Pearl picked up the gemstone and quickly put it inside her gem, still concealed by the cloud. She retrieved the glass gemstone made to look like a jasper and threw it in front of her and raised her spear, just as the mist started to drift away and the spectators could see her once more. She prayed it would work silently, and pushed down her spear, hitting the glass in the centre, and smashing it into many pieces.  
Pearl looked around, suddenly aware of her surroundings again, and her diamond started clapping slowly, her normal smirk taking over her face.  
The crowd took her lead and started clapping and some cheering, seeing that the 'criminal' had been 'shattered'.  
Pearl looked at the other jaspers; the closest one seemed to have seen what happened, but had a face of terror to not let it be known, and the others just looked scared, although trying to hide it through a tough facade and failing.  
Pearl took a deep breath, although not needing to breathe, and flung her arms above her head gracefully, embracing the song that was this horrible act and paused for a moment, letting the barely contained apprehension of the spectators fill her with adrenaline. She pushed the sword in front of her, dispersing the white cloud from another of the Jaspers. Filled with excitement she sliced her spear across to her right, doing the same to the third gem. She picked up the orange gems and quickly replaced them with the glass copies, shattering those soon afterwards.  
She looked at the last Jasper, who tried to back away but stumbled. She looked terrified but couldn't summon her weapon because of the chains. And Pearl snapped out of her excitement, seeing the terror and disgust.  
She leant close to the gem as she spun her spear above her head. She whispered a few words that no one else could hear, but they were so important, more so to Pearl than to the jasper.  
But the jasper looked at the orange remains of the glass and back up at Pearl, gathering a small amount of courage,  
"You are just a pearl, you cannot talk to me, now are you brave enough to eradicate my existence, or will you back out like the pearl you should be." The Jasper shouted at the top of her voice.  
The room gasped, including Pearl.  
But Pearl didn't let herself think about it, committing the moment to memory to think about another time. She swung her spear just as the jasper opened her mouth to speak again, and the white mist exploded from the falling gemstone.  
Pearl thought for a fraction of a second, that maybe homeworld would be better without this obnoxious quartz. But she knew she had to save her, even as a statement to herself that she was not in the rebellion and would fight against it with her sword and her diamond to the day she is shattered herself.  
Pearl sighed and swapped the gemstone for the glass copy, and shattered that instead.  
She barely heard the cheers and roars not usually heard from the noblest of crowds, and she had to kneel down in front of the glass pieces, her vision swaying and her movements becoming heavier, and she collapsed forwards, eyes drifting closed.  
"What did you say to her?" The diamond voice struck through to Pearl like a chord.  
But she couldn't reply, even as every tiny bit of light making up her body told her to reply, and she was too exhausted to open her eyes.  
"Pearl!" The voice rang out again, louder this time.

<><><><><>

Pearl jerked her head upwards, catching it on a wall behind her.  
She groaned and rubbed her head, before seeing her diamond in front of her, seated on her throne with her back turned.  
"You insulted me to not obey. I don't care if you're different, you must still be a pearl and this pearl was made to serve me!" The diamond shouted angrily, and sighed.  
Pearl bowed her head, and from her position on the floor on her hands and knees she clenched her fists.  
She had humiliated her diamond.  
That was the truth and she knew it, but everything since she couldn't remember.  
"I must punish you for this. But that is somehow not enough." The diamond turned her head slowly to look at her pearl in disgust.  
Pearl hated that. She craved the approving and pleased looks but not the angry ones and the disgusted ones.  
"What do I do with you?" The matriarch mused to herself.  
There was a cough from behind Pearl, and for the first time she realised that her and her diamond where not alone.  
Not in the courtroom but in one of the great diamond halls, and the crowd of noble gems stretched further than Pearl could see from almost the ground.  
The voice that coughed spoke again.  
"I know exactly what you know you have to do."  
The voice connected to a gem and for a moment Pearl found the tiniest glimpse of hope in her confusion. Before her was the one person who had looked at Pearl like she was worth something more than a symbol of power. That gem was the Rose Quartz soldier, curls of pink hair flowing when she moved her head, a dress like a ball gown and a face like an angel. Pearl turned around to try and look at her more, but returned when she heard her diamond speak.  
"And what is that?"  
Rose Quartz flicked a piece of hair behind her shoulder and her eyes avoided Pearl's eyes, with purpose, with mockery.  
"Shatter her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's really late, I'm sorry! Thanks for being patient :)


	6. Angel (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An angel to Pearl; a gem who makes a big decision

"Shatter her."  
And there was silence.  
It was a painful silence, and that's all Pearl could feel, a wrenching, lurching pain. It was betrayal.  
A thought seemed to growl at her, "You're just a pearl after all, why shouldn't you be shattered?"  
But Pearl thought she knew insignificance, she thought she had accepted it, but she hadn't. She thought she was ready to be shattered because it didn't matter, and yet it felt like it really did.  
She gasped and tried to look up, wetness from her eyes clouding over everything before her, her body curled up on the floor in desperation.  
She sobbed but no one looked her way apart from her diamond, who looked on with a glint of... sorrow? But it was gone, replaced by the usual malice that came with the job.  
Only Pearl, closest to her, heard her mumble, "Maybe it's for the best."  
The mumble stopped as though never there and the commanding voice she knew sounded in the massive hall.  
"You're a Rose Quartz? Facet 1S... something, by the fact you aren't fighting rebels and you aren't with your diamond?"  
And then something sweet happened, a voice so beautiful it seemed to drown out any bad thing in Pearl's mind, it was like a pair of light feet dancing, not the heavy footsteps of the matriarchs.  
"Indeed, I am Facet 1S4U, Cut-"  
"I don't care, stop wasting my time, are you going to shatter her or not?"  
The silence arrived again, as did hundreds of glares as they saw this mess of a pearl on the ground, crying and sniffling and begging quietly under her breath.  
"Yes, of course." And the beautiful gem took a step towards Pearl, everyone else taking a few steps back to observe from a safe distance.  
Pearl watched the angel grow closer, she saw every little curve of her face and of her hair, her dress flowing and her footsteps doing the same as she glided closer.  
But she flicked her hair behind her pale shoulder, and that smirk invaded her perfect features.  
And then Pearl remembered her purpose.  
"Pl-please! Please!"  
She mumbled, unable to get off the floor so she scrambled backwards, away from this angelic demon.  
Pearl closed her eyes and let those inner voiced stream into her mind, saying to stay still and kneel and not say a word and obey.  
So Pearl had no choice, she closed her eyes and listened to those voices until they drowned out every other thought.  
She was vaguely aware of her hands forming the diamond salute, and then a wave of scent hit her.  
It was sweet and clean and Pearl had to open her eyes, because she knew who the scent belonged to.  
The face of the Rose Quartz was a head's width away from Pearl's, searching her eyes deeply. It surprised her, and for a moment she was worried about what the angel would find in those large, terrified eyes.  
Pearl couldn't even bare to return the eye contact, she looked down.  
Time seemed to speed up again and people were talking and the flash of weapons was seen, but Pearl seemed too far behind for any of it, she just looked downwards.  
And then there was a voice, and time was back in its place with a jolt.  
Pearls head was spinning and she couldn't think, but she heard a simple command,  
"Look at me,"  
And so she did.  
A razor sharp shield was held against her throat, and she looked up to see the Rose Quartz smirk, and give her a look of ultimate disgust which gave her such a mental pain in her mind, and then she felt such a physical pain in her body, and it all went dark.


	7. Demon (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A demon to herself; a gem who makes a big decision

Pearl suddenly found herself to be conscious, and it was of course a shock, because maybe she hadn't been shattered.  
She tried to open her eyes but found that they wouldn't, and then reached out her hand to touch her face, but nothing moved, in fact, she felt nothing on her body at all, like it wasn't there at all. How strange.  
And what was stranger was that she didn't panic, she just lay there in her own mind.  
Does a gem lose her soul and thoughts when she is shattered? Or does it all just disappear?  
Pearl found herself pondering, but then disbelieving of what she remembered.  
That rose quartz wouldn't have shattered her. She had such kind eyes for a quartz gem.  
Pearl felt a pang of pain in her mind. Would she never see those eyes again, that hope in the treacherous world she lived in?  
With that, Pearl focused her mind on her body. Trying to push it through into a physical form, and slowly an arm reached out, then another, and then two legs. But she didn't fall to the ground, she just floated. With the joy of succeeding she opened her eyes, but a liquid seeped in, pulling her eyelids apart and forcing itself into her eyes. She tried to scream as the pain hit her, but the liquid went into her mouth and slid through her body, hurting everything it scraped against. She closed her eyes and mouth and tried to reach out her arm to hold onto something in confusing and pain.  
But the liquid pushed back on her form from all directions, squeezing her limbs until she could only wail for help silently, flailing her arms to regain her balance.  
Where was she?  
All Pearl could do was to not fight the ever growing force and let it push her back into her gem, dissipating her physical form.  
It didn't matter where she was, because it clearly didn't want her there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone have an idea for a gem nickname? I'm not saying anything about gem type or colour! Maybe something that the gems could have picked up from Earth if they visited here perhaps? I have a few ideas but please tell me yours in the comments because I'm a bit stuck! I thought of Blossom but I'm not sure! You'll see them in the next chapter!! :)


	8. Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are revealed, but what is to come in this strange new senario?

"My pearl."  
The voice cut through the stasis Pearl was in. It was the voice of her diamond.  
"My pearl."  
She tried her best to reach her physical form again, even after many failed attempts, but this time was different. She felt ground beneath her knees and hands, and it was solid ground. There was no liquid surrounding her, only cool air. She... hadn't been shattered?  
From her place kneeling on the floor, she tried to look up to find her diamond, but she couldn't see a thing. There seemed to be a mistiness in front of her eyes.  
"My Pearl."  
But this time it didn't sound like her diamond's voice. But Pearl had heard it before.  
It was that sweet song of a thing, a serenade to beauty Pearl had yet to see. Rose Quartz.  
She mistiness cleared slowly and Pearl could make out three figures above her, and more voices.  
"Are you sure she's okay?"  
"Well I kept her very safe so it wasn't me."  
"I'm sure it's just her first time reforming."  
One of the figures squatted down to Pearl's level, and talked directly to her.  
"You must be so scared. Do you want some help getting up?"  
And the figure became a gem as Pearl's eyes fully readjusted.  
She had never been so close to a face so beautiful before. Pearl hadn't realised that the curves that formed her own face could form themselves into something so perfect.  
And of course, the face matched a voice and a gem. Rose Quartz.  
Pearl breathed in deeply, and nodded.  
A hand took her own, and guided her up to standing.  
It was far too soft for the hand of a warrior who must have yielded weapons countless times. Pearl didn't want to let go, so she held tighter and it fell by their sides, linking the two gems.  
Pearl did a double take at the other two gems in front of her. On the left was the lapis lazuli from her diamond's court, and next to her stood the pearl from the door who she failed to smile at, what seemed like millennia ago. The pearl stood with her arms crossed, looking Pearl up and down grumpily.  
Pearl took a deep breath, and clutched onto the hand she held with both of hers. It held her up. Perhaps in more than one way.

"Well?" The other pearl looked Pearl up and down with judgment in her eyes. "The last few had speeches ready, you were in there long enough."  
There was a moment of silence.  
The angel spoke quietly and slowly, like nothing could rush her. "She's important, like I told you."  
The pearl huffed and flicked her head to the side, hand on hip, annoyed.  
"Anyway, I'm going to get ready." Lapis Lazuli knocked Pearl with her elbow and gestured towards a corridor leading towards a door. "You coming?"  
Pearl looked at her, still shocked, and nodded, before starting to walk away to follow Lapis.  
But she stopped, and realised that a hand still connected her to Rose Quartz, who hadn't moved.  
Time stopped, and no one moved. The gap between the two gems stretched lightyears before Pearl's eyes, but her hand hadn't let go, and neither had the other. It had to be a mutual letting go.  
"I, I... umm..." Pearls mouth seemed unable to form itself around coherent words.  
All four gems started at those two hands, the small fragile servant's hand, and the angel's large soft hand, wrapping around the other.  
Pearl swallowed.  
Rose Quartz looked up at her face.  
"It's fine, I need to explain some things to you. I will accompany you with Lapis Lazuli." She tore her eyes from the little gem's face to look at the other, more indignant pearl.  
"Blos, could you check the control room please."  
"Yeah sure," She started walking down a different corridor, then turned back around suddenly and pointed her finger at Rose Quartz.  
"And don't call me that. I'm a pearl, my name is pearl, so call me pearl." She turned back around and walked off waving her hand at the others behind her. "See you at the meeting."  
Pearl turned to look at the floor, and the shock seemed to ware off at once. Where was she? Why wasn't she shattered? What was going on?  
"Wh-" She started, but she stopped, because the two gems in front of her smiled at each other with a glance Pearl didn't understand, and started laughing.  
Pearl did not join in.  
There were tears in their eyes as they continued to laugh, Rose Quartz's face contorting to let those rich chuckles free. Pearl found herself staring at her in wonder.  
"That's Blos by the way." Lapis gave another little chuckle.  
"A gem grumpier than any other." Rose Quartz added.  
Pearl took a deep breath. "What happened to me?"  
The two went very silent, the remainder of their laughs shattered in an instant.  
Rose Quartz brought her other hand to the one she was holding, and kneaded it as though soothing Pearl, or maybe herself. She stared at the hand, thinking.  
"There was only one way we could work out to rescue you."  
"It was actually the way you used, with the jaspers." Lapis Lazuli added.  
Pearl furrowed her brow, she thought no one had seen, but maybe Lapis Lazuli had been close enough to see what had happened.  
The quartz looked up at her face, and stared deeply into those eyes, looking for something.  
"I got Blos' help and stole a glass copy of a pearl gem. But," she paused, and looked at Lapis Lazuli with what seemed like regret. She shook her head slowly, and Lazuli took a step forward to continue the story.  
"I am the leader here, but Rose Quartz has the highest authority according to the diamonds. She has to do a lot on missions because of her power." She paused, looked at Rose Quartz for guidance. "She doesn't like the violence, she hated looking at eyes filled with fear because of her, but she has to do it." Pearl remembered her fear, her terror, it was imbedded to her mind like a kindergarten machine onto rock. The memory came easily, like it was waiting.  
Rose Quartz rolled a thumb over Pearl's hand soothingly. "But you're safe now, and that's what matters."  
Pearl just looked at the quartz. She couldn't quite work her out. Like there was some factor she had missed in the equation, an emotion she did not yet know.  
"Where... are we?" Pearl stuttered.  
Lazuli smiled and threw her hands up high, "The start of a new homeworld. No diamonds, no authority, no war, no terror." She grinned at the quartz gem, who had returned to holding Pearl's hand with one of her own.  
"Yes, the rebellion."


	9. START OF STEVENBOMB

Next week, starting the 10th April, this story will have a StevenBomb, updating every day for a week, and with much longer chapters. This is partially to make up for almost never updating, and also because there is something big coming in this story!  
If you are reading this during this story's StevenBomb week, please remember to pick up where you left off to avoid spoilers!  
Thanks again for reading, and remember to come back next week for some exciting developments!


	10. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl makes a choice, but what does her return mean to the gems around her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's the beginning of my StevenBomb week! Who's excited? Me!  
> Please remember to pick up where you left off and not charge in with the latest chapter because there will be a lot of updates on the way!  
> As with the actual cartoon, please return everyday this week for a new chapter, which will be much longer than usual! This will be Monday to Friday (again like a StevenBomb.)  
> I love comments and any continuity errors or spelling mistake information would be well received! I also love chatting about the show, so shoot me a message if you want to :)  
> I'm thinking of doing little drawings for each chapter (inspired by VonSmore ^_^), so opinions on that would be great as well!  
> Okies I'll stop rambling and let you read! Good luck! I hope you enjoy this week of fiction!

Pearl stared at the floor as she was lead through a maze of winding corridors.  
Rebellion? The word spun around in her head.  
Their explanation hadn't quite fit together. She had been rescued? But it wasn't like the jaspers, because they were going to be shattered no matter what, she was only going to be shattered because of what Rose Quartz had said. So what had she been rescued from? She had been fine, content with helping her diamond and making her happy, there had been no real danger.  
Pearl stopped walking, still looking down. She let go of Rose Quartz's hand.  
Pearl knew that her escorts had also stopped, to look back at her.  
"Why am I here?" Her voice was strong, they had to tell her the truth.  
Rose Quartz took a step closer and brushed a hand along Pearl's face.  
"I wanted you to be here, to be safe."  
Pearl stamped her foot in frustration. "So this place is no different, you didn't even give me a choice." She was shouting in her anger, "But I'm a Pearl, so of course I don't even have one."  
There was a silence from the other two. Lapis Lazuli stepped towards Pearl.  
"It was for your safety, Rose Quartz thought you deserved that."  
Pearl looked up at the blue gem, tears in her eyes. "I didn't ask to be taken from where I was created to be."  
Rose Quartz was silent, but Lapis Lazuli continued in a quiet voice.  
"Do you want to go back?"  
Pearl paused, and took in a deep breath. "Yes."

<><><><><>

Pearl didn't know how long it had been, but she knew better than to try and exit her gem after last time. So she stayed, and thought about what might happen to her.  
She felt a vague freshness on her gem, so she must be outside Blos' gem now. But still she waited, there must have been a plan and as much as she hated her situation, she had to stay put.  
She waited for what seemed like millennia, and she was getting impatient. That must have been enough time, she thought. Yes, there's no way she couldn't have waited long enough.  
Pearl pushed her limbs outwards, forming her shape, and looked at the ground beneath her hands and knees.  
White.  
It was so blindingly white that she couldn't take her eyes of it, but it hurt her head to stare at it.  
No floors in the whole palace had been like this, so... where was she?  
She looked around the room, and realised that it was much smaller than the halls she was used to.  
It was a rectangle, her height across one way and twice her height across the other way. All that was there apart from her was a square box with a lid in one corner, and a cuboid along one of the short walls that stretched from one end to the other.  
With a curiosity that overpowered her panic, she reached out and touched it. It was slightly bouncy at the top, and she thought how nice it would be to sit on it. Or maybe lie on it, it looked like exactly the right size for her to do so. She reached out her hands and lifted herself onto it, lying back.  
It was only as she did so the she noticed the height of the room, and it caused her to sit up in wonder.  
It was huge, stretching so far up. It must of been about five times her height. Why was it so tall?  
And where in all of homeworld was she?  
Looking closer at the ceiling, she noticed a space very like hers, but with a normal ceiling, carved out of one of the sides, right at the top. What kind of place was this?  
Pearl looked in wonder as two legs poked over the top, then dangled over. Someone sitting on the ledge, maybe.  
Pearl gasped; there was someone else here!  
"Hello? Do you know where we are?" She shouted up at the gem.  
There was a silence, and then the legs retreated. Pearl looked down at her hands in desperation. What had she done?  
There was a swoosh noise, and a blue blur.  
Crash!  
Two feet shook the cuboid and smashed onto the surface around Pearl's feet.  
Pearl gasped in shock and pulled her legs towards her, they had been so close to being crushed. Pearl looked up at the gem above her.  
Her body was tall and confidant and her eyes were ruthless, her wings stretched out majestically. She looked down at Pearl like she was scum.  
Pearl almost didn't recognise her, but that gem on her hand reminded her.  
"Lapis Lazuli?"  
The blue gem didn't answer, but smirked mockingly. She leant close to Pearl's face, and whispered.  
"We're in..."  
She leant in an inch from Pearl's ear.  
"The Dungeons!"  
The blue gem bent her knees and threw herself up into the air, flying up to her ledge again.  
Pearl was left, terrified. What she had seen was a whole other side to the gem she knew, or thought she knew.  
Before she had time to think about what the blue gem had said, a buzzing noise alerted her to a blank patch of wall, which slid aside. A door!  
In it stood a ruby gem she didn't recognise, who spoke.  
"White Diamond has placed you here temporarily to think about where your loyalties lie, but I will come here often to take you to sword practice, as my diamond wants to utilise your unnatural ability to fight, and it may be useful." The red gem looked at Pearl, waiting for an answer, but she didn't have one. She nodded and stood up. The ruby stepped out of the doorway into a corridor, gesturing with one hand for Pearl to follow her.  
With a quick look up to where she knew Lapis Lazuli was, she stepped outside the room, and the door slid across behind her.  
Ruby led Pearl around corners and up and down countless stairs, and they arrived at two enormous doors.  
Ruby stood to the side, and waited for Pearl to go in.  
What was even happening anyway?  
Pearl thought as she pushed one open and stepped inside.  
She found herself in a small hall with sand on the ground and various helmets and shields and weapons decorating one entire wall.  
In the middle stood an amethyst, who was holding a curved blade.  
Pearl stepped closer and waited for an explanation.  
"I will train you today, but there will be a different gem here from any diamond to train you on other days."  
Pearl nodded slowly, it was so she could get used to fighting all different gem types and weapons, she thought.  
"Summon your weapon, and we shall begin."  
Pearl closed her eyes, and thought about that dance in the courtroom, intertwining with her sword, perfect partners in a perfect dance. Pearl reached out and took the sword she knew was there. The cold marble touch shocked her every time, and the beauty of it.  
"I saw you at the court trial, but I will not teach you to dance, I will start with the basics of fighting."  
Pearl nodded and placed one foot behind the other like the amethyst had done, and copied how she held her sword.  
"Hold it how it feels right."  
She adjusted her grip, the soft stone almost moulding to her hand.  
The amethyst moved her sword fast, and Pearl blocked it an inch from her side, both hands on her sword.  
The clang of the sword rang out through the hall.  
The tall purple gem took a step closer to strike, but stopped. "If I step forwards, you step backwards. Block until you see a weak moment in my defence where I wouldn't be able to block, and go for it.  
Amethyst took another step forward, and Pearl moved backwards. The purple gem raised her sword and slashed it right at Pearl's centre, but Pearl sword got there first, blocking her from harm. She opened her eyes, not expecting it to have worked.  
Before she could think it through, Pearl twisted her blade around, knocking Amethyst's sword to the ground. Pearl smiled and held the point of her blade to the amethyst's throat. Somehow, she was good at this. Somehow, she liked it.

<><><><><>

When Pearl was lead back to her room later, she was weary, but proud of herself. She had managed to improve a lot, in just one session.  
The door slid across behind her, and Pearl saw her blue roommate leaning against the wall, hair over her eyes, arms crossed.  
Pearl didn't say anything, or move.  
"I'm sorry, okay, about earlier." Pearl looked up, she hadn't expected that. "I was angry that I was here so I blamed it on you, when it wasn't your fault."  
"What... happened?" Pearl asked her softly.  
"You were in your gem, and you were placed outside the doors waiting for someone to find you. I went in to tell White Diamond that there was a gem outside. She knew it was you and was angry you hadn't been shattered. Glad as well, I think, but angry she didn't know what had happened. She shot the messenger I guess, and that happened to be me." The blue gem sighed wistfully.  
Pearl nodded, she was starting to realise for just how long she had been in her gem.  
"At least it's an okay place, and you can leave every now and then."  
Pearl nodded again, but then thought of something that she had never asked.  
"Why is Blos... called Blos?"  
"Ahh," Lapis Lazuli smiled and went and sat down on the comfy surface in Pearl's space. Pearl went down and sat next to her, looking up at her with wide eyes. "She was a pearl to a high ranking gem, a Snowflake Obsidian, who used to be in the rebellion at the very beginning. Blos slowly started liking her more and more, until her eyes just sparkled when they were together. Snowflake was the same, I think. They went to many planets, and along the way, Snowflake started calling her pearl Blossom, a beautiful occurrence on some planets. They were never apart, and both saw past the hierarchy that separated them. White Diamond found out, and shattered Snowflake, meaning that Blos was left to her." Lapis Lazuli looked tearful, so Pearl placed a hand on her shoulder. "We always called Blossom Blos anyway, as a nickname, but now it's stuck, and she's resenting it for reminding her of what happened. She's so grumpy but we can't cheer her up. It's such a shame. We laugh it off because she's a grumpy old thing, but it's so sad."  
Both of them looked down at the floor.  
Pearl thought of how terrible it must be for that gem so much like her. But Pearl couldn't imagine losing someone she loved so much, she just felt like she would never understand it.


	11. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl makes an interesting discovery, one that changes her view of a certain gem, but will they ever see each other again so Pearl can find out the truth?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's the middle of my StevenBomb week! Who's getting stressed? Me!
> 
> \--Message for the Week--  
> Please remember to pick up where you left off and not charge in with the latest chapter because there will be a lot of updates on the way!  
> As with the actual cartoon, please return everyday this week for a new chapter, which will be much longer than usual! This will be Monday to Friday (again like a StevenBomb.)
> 
> I love comments and any continuity errors or spelling mistake information would be well received! I also love chatting about the show, so shoot me a message if you want to :)  
> I'm thinking of doing little drawings for each chapter (inspired by VonSmore ^_^), so opinions on that would be great as well!  
> Okies I'll stop rambling and let you read! Good luck! I hope you enjoy this week of fiction!

"And it was then that I realised, there was no getting out. I pushed at the sides as hard as I could but they wouldn't budge. I was completely trapped." Lapis was, yet again, telling Pearl a story from her life, for it was the only interesting way to fill their time. Lapis stood, acting parts out, and Pearl sat on her soft cuboid, eyes starry and captivated. "I almost gave up, I thought no one would ever find me, but then I recognised the material of the walls. It was one of the alloys I had been forced to shape as a young gem, working in the factories. It was very hard, but bent easily in contact with water." Lapis twirled around and flung out her wings majestically. "So I used my water wings to make a hole, and I ran back to the ship."  
Pearl stared at her, mouth open. She had never heard of such adventures, such an interesting life to live. She loved it.  
"Lapis, could... Could you tell me another one please?"  
Lapis smiled at Pearl, she adored the limelight, and to an audience who was actually interested in her life.  
"Have I told you about how I created the rebellion?"  
"No, you haven't! Please tell it to me!"  
But, at that moment, the door behind Lazuli slid open and the ruby guard stood there. It was the second of Pearl's lessons.  
"Follow me."  
Pearl waved goodbye to her blue friend, and followed the guard all the way to the training arena once more. At the tall doors, the ruby spoke, "As it will be a different trainer every day, you may learn different skills, be prepared for a completely different lesson that the one you were preparing for."  
Pearl nodded, trying to get her head around those words. She took a deep breath, and pushed open one of the doors with both her hands.  
No matter how much preparation she was being warned to do, she was still shocked by what she saw.  
It was a rose quartz standing in that room, turned away from her, fiddling with the helmets along one wall.  
But thanks to her clothes, and the way she moved so softly, Pearl thought she must be the rose quartz she knew.  
Pearl froze. Was she angry?  
The pink gem continued to fiddle away with the items on the wall.  
Pearl was certain she hadn't been noticed, and was about to say something, when Rose Quartz spoke first.  
"Don't summon your weapon. Choose a sword from the wall." She still didn't turn around.  
Pearl didn't speak, but turned on her heel and walked over to the wall. In front of her must have been hundreds of different swords. Some long, some shorter, some sharp and some blunt. Some had fancy curved handles, some had inscriptions on the blade. There were all slightly different colours. Every one was unique. Unique... to a gem?  
"Who do these belong to?" Pearl asked.  
"The diamonds now. Once, gems were allowed to hand craft their weapons to suit them, now they are programmed into us" Pearl looked up at them, these gems had been shattered long ago, but a piece of them still remained, here. It must have been nice, she thought, to create something new and different.  
She moved her hand along the ones nearest to her. A long orange sword, white swirls around the handle, a facet and cut number engraved into it, Facet 7G3K Cut 1DF. A yellow dagger, it's point still pristine and sharp, again a gem number along the handle, Facet 2L9V Cut 4YW. A blue rapier, darker lines around the tip, a number engraved in gold, Facet 1A1A Cut 6LB.  
Pearl moved her hand to the next sword, then stopped. She recognised that number. It was in... the courtroom, her diamond talking to... Lapis Lazuli! That was her number! And the sword was shades of blue in colour. If must have been hers!  
But how could her friend be that old? 1A1A meant she was in the very first batch of lapis lazulis, that would mean Lapis is millennia and millennia old.  
Pearl gasped and covered her mouth, how could that be?  
Her mind spun, unable to keep up with her thoughts.  
Then, a voice rung out of the darkness. "Have you chosen?"  
Pearl paused, she had.  
She slowly lifted the rapier out of the stand, and felt it in her palm. It was light and strong, but not made for her.  
How many gems had this cut down? How many gemstones had been shattered?

Rose Quartz had been staring at the helmets, along from Pearl. She wasn't really too interested in them, but she had been watching the other gem out of her peripheral vision.  
It was strange, how Pearl acted so formally and precisely when she knew she was being watched, but otherwise, she was different. She padded lightly from one place to another, excitedly. It was... well Rose Quartz didn't have a word for it, but she liked it.  
She had gotten over the temporary sadness over Pearl's choice to leave the rebellion, but now she understood; she couldn't force her, she just had to show her what she believed and let Pearl make up her own mind. The pink gem chuckled, even she still had to learn so much.  
But she saw this as a challenge, to let Pearl understand her, and more importantly, for Rose Quartz to understand Pearl.

Pearl turned to face the other gem, rapier sitting comfortably in her hand. Waiting for her to turn around, Pearl assessed the weapon she chose, it's length, it's width, it's weight.  
"Okay then, attack me." The pink gem declared, looking at the ground, face in the shadows.  
Pearl took a deep breath, and ran head on at the other gem, who still didn't move. Pearl raised the sword behind her when she was nearing her opponent, and threw herself at the pink gem.  
Crash!  
The sound rang in Pearl's ears as she was thrown across the floor. The dust on the ground swirled around her and she coughed and looked up.  
There Rose Quartz stood, her outstretched arm leading to the metal helmet she held in her hand, still swinging from the impact. Her face no longer hidden, a grin spitting it in two. Her eyes were filled with fire.  
"In battle, anything can be your weapon. You mustn't rely on what you are used to, because then you'll never learn anything new."  
She placed the helmet neatly back on it's stand, and held her arm out to Pearl, still crouched on the floor. Pearl smiled, nodded, and took it. Electricity was exchanged between them as their muscles worked either side of those hands, and Pearl was lifted up.  
Pearl found herself very close to the other gem, their hands still linked and electricity buzzing between them. She looked up into those large beautiful eyes, and Rose Quartz looked back. They seemed to drift a little closer.  
Crash!  
One of the doors swung open, making a huge noise. The two sprung apart, and looked at the door.  
A tall snowflake obsidian stood there, unaware of the moment that had just happened between the two.  
"Rose Quartz Cut 1S4U Facet 9HX, my diamond requests of your presence immediately." And with that, the gem left, the door slamming behind her.  
Silence was left, and Rose Quartz looked sadly at Pearl, before walking over to the doors.  
"Farewell," she turned to leave, then stopped, "and, good luck with the practice." The pink gem pushed one of the doors open, and disappeared from sight.  
Pearl let out the breath she hadn't realise she was holding, before long, she knew someone was coming to collect her. This was her chance.  
Instead of replacing the rapier on it's stand, she slid it into her gem space. She would return it to it's owner, Lapis Lazuli.  
Pearl turned around as she heard the doors opening once more, and the ruby guard stood there.  
Pearl nodded and walked over the dusty spot where she had landed, and through the doorway, following the small red gem. She was led through the winding corridors that she still could not memorise.  
Pearl looked forward to showing the sword to her friend back in their room. She would be so excited and happy! Pearl smiled, and properly this time, not forced but the opposite, Pearl wouldn't have been able to stop.  
But they arrived at a door, not the little sliding one she knew, but huge engraved doors. She knew them, they led into the diamond hall.  
And there stood the pearl to open it, Blos. She took hold of the large handle and pulled it towards her, slowly opening the monstrous thing. Ruby motioned with her hand for Pearl to go in, and she gulped. She hadn't seen her diamond since she had been ordered to be shattered. Pearl took a step forwards, and as she passed through the huge doorway, she looked at Blos, the smile still on Pearl's face. To her amazement, Blos smiled back, her face brightening and her eyes looking friendly. Blos seemed to forgive her for returning, and there was an entire conversation in that glance.  
Pearl found courage from that and looked up at her diamond, deep in conversation with another gem. She walked forward, through the large empty hall, and stood beside the large throne of the matriarch.  
She waited, not eavesdropping on the conversation, and felt herself sigh with relief.  
This is where she was meant to be, by her diamond. She was safe here, and she would never have to leave.  
Pearl closed her eyes for a moment in her bliss, then opened them sharply when she heard a very loud voice.  
"My Pearl?"  
"Yes, my diamond?" She answered back without having to think.  
"Please deactivate the Manual Electronic Control Systems, but not the Vitals."  
Pearl paused, why would such a thing be needed?  
"Yes, my diamond. May I ask, why you would need me to do this?"  
The diamond glared at Pearl for a moment, but then decided to tell her.  
"Our world relies on communication and power. So the leaders must meet to make plans. You were made as a gift for me, last time this happened. When the ninth holy star passes the eighth, happening tomorrow, we, and every other gem, shall travel to the land of Blue Diamond, and there, the diamond meeting will be held."


	12. Refresh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl may have a challenge on her hands, but who will she meet that can refresh and calm her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's the middle of my StevenBomb week! Who's getting tired? Me!
> 
> \--Message for the Week--  
> Please remember to pick up where you left off and not charge in with the latest chapter because there will be a lot of updates on the way!  
> As with the actual cartoon, please return everyday this week for a new chapter, which will be much longer than usual! This will be Monday to Friday (again like a StevenBomb.)
> 
> I love comments and any continuity errors or spelling mistake information would be well received! I also love chatting about the show, so shoot me a message if you want to :)  
> I'm thinking of doing little drawings for each chapter (inspired by VonSmore ^_^), so opinions on that would be great as well!  
> Okies I'll stop rambling and let you read! Good luck! I hope you enjoy this week of fiction!

Pearl had left her diamond's court before, but only when she had been kidnapped. She had certainly never left her diamond's realm.   
To be honest, she was quite terrified.  
Every single gem in one building. Every. Single. Gem.  
Pearl could hardly comprehend it. She had seen crowds before, but this would be unlike any other.   
As she hurried through the rooms as white as she was, it was strange to think of every hall empty, every corridor utterly silent. No movement in the slightest.   
She reached the small control room, and unlocked it with a scan of her gem.   
She had been trained how to work the machines, but she had learned a lot since. A thought struck her, what if she got this wrong?   
Pearl gasped and stumbled into the room. She looked around at the various labels on buttons and screens in panic.  
One label caught her eye. "Manual Electronic Control Systems"  
Ahh! That was it!   
There was a panel with a label stating "Manual Shut Down" with four coloured buttons underneath; Upper Control Systems, Lower Control Systems, Specified Area Control, and Vitals. They were black, grey, white, and cream.  
Okay, she thought. Not the vitals, and not specific rooms.   
Pearl bit her lip, hoping she was right, and pressed the grey and black buttons. Nothing seemed to happen for a moment, and then she heard a loud noise from behind her, had she messed it up, had she ruined the controls?  
Pearl spun around, seeing no alarms or flashing lights, and sighed. What she did see though, was a screen out of the many covering one huge wall, with shouting coming from the very quite volume device. She pressed a switch next to it and the screen grew larger and the sound increased.  
"What do you think White Diamond would say if you spoke to her like that?" Said one of the gems, a tall milky quartz, long straight white hair down to her waist. The various weapons and medals attached to her clothes showed her to be a fighter as a quartz, but her gem type showing her to be a high ranking gem, as milky quartzes were far from common, and belonging only in the White Diamond colonies.   
Her victim, a large gem Pearl didn't recognise, was pushed against the wall. She opened her mouth and tried to shout, "Help! Help me!" But after that the milky quartz covered a hand over her mouth, preventing more shouting.  
Pearl reared back from the screen. It was like when she had been kidnapped, but this poor gem could actually be shattered. Pearl looked at the top of the screen, committing the corridor number to memory.   
160202F  
160202F  
160202F  
She turned off the screen and ran through the palace. If anyone caught her then she was in big trouble. The corridor number told her where it was in which building, which was 2F. 2 was the second turning from the main path, and then the 16th turning off from there. A difficult system, but fortunately one she knew.  
She turned the 16th corner and ran forwards, running around another corner then stumbled backwards, catching sight of the gems from the screen. Pearl waited for the right moment, peeking around the corner.  
The third gem in the area nudged the attacker's shoulder. She was a small calcite, who adjusted her grey visor and whined, "Come on Milky, we don't have time for this! You know how important it is for us to not be late."  
The furious quartz gem turned to her friend and huffed angrily, gesturing the gem slumped on the floor.  
"This stupid defect needs to know her place, and how to keep dangerous thoughts to herself." She looked back disgustedly at the gem, "Why, if I wasn't in a rush, I would turn you in to my diamond. Looks like I'll just have to finish it myself." She grabbed a short dagger from her hip and picked up her victim by her top with the other hand.  
Pearl gasped and summoned her weapon, charging forwards and standing behind the milky quartz. She pressed her spear onto the milky quartz gem on her back.  
"Put her down." Pearl spoke low and angrily. The key to this was not letting her cover be broken. The calcite gasped and Pearl sighed, nevermind.  
The calcite shook the quartz's arm. "Milky! You could be shattered!"  
The milky quartz still didn't shift her grip on her victim, but thrust the handle of the knife into the calcite's hand.   
The calcite took a step back, and stared down at the weapon she held. Her eyes widened. She had clearly never held a weapon before.   
She went and stood by Pearl, seemingly not disgusted by her gem type.   
Calcite leant down and placed the dagger on the floor. "I'm sorry, Milky, but you're not always right.   
Pearl stared at Calcite with stars in her eyes, what a brave decision.   
In the next few moments, many actions took place.  
First, the milky quartz grabbed a blade from her belt and raised it. The gem in front of her struggled, and started shouting again. Calcite, seeing what was about to happen, shoved the quartz gem as hard as she possibly could in the side. This caused Milky Quartz's aim to be off, not striking the gem at her gem, but next to it, causing her victim to be reduced to her gem. Pearl, when she realised what was happening, plunged her sword into the quartz's shoulder, causing her to also erupt into smoke. Calcite rushed forwards and caught the colourful gem before it hit the ground, and Pearl did the same with the Milky Quartz.   
Pearl's sword dissipated, and she handed the off-white gem to the calcite. The small gem smiled, and gave her the gem she had been holding.   
"I won't get you or your master in trouble, don't worry." Pearl reassured the other gem.  
"Thanks! How can you be a Pearl and be so strong and powerful?" The little gem looked up to her with large eyes.  
"I don't really know, but it's just who I am!" Pearl answered. "Thank you for your help, and I hope we see each other again." Pearl said, and bowed.  
The little gem giggled, and bowed quickly as well. "Yeah! I'm quite a new calcite by the way, but I like it if gems call me Callie! Also I'm kind of new, could you show me the way to the 6th Operations Courtyard?"  
Pearl smiled at her happiness, it was so refreshing. "Of course I can."  
Pearl led her down the same corridors she had come down, but stopped at a certain turning. She hummed, trying to work out where Operations Courtyards were.  
"I think you follow this corridor here," she gestured to a turning to her right, "take your first left, and go through the door at the end. I think it's there."   
"Thank you!" Callie sang and ran down the corridor.   
Pearl smiled after her, she was sweet, but doubted if that alone would save her in this cruel world.  
She made her way to the nearest holding cells to her. They were for gems who weren't going to the dungeons, but needed to be contained for a short while. Surely there would be something suitable there.  
She pressed a button and a sliding door opened, showing to her a small room with a comfy surface in it. She placed the colourful gem on it. Pearl hoped that it would be relatively quiet here once she reformed.  
Pearl walked outside the room before the door closed, and pressed a few buttons on the side of the one to open the door. This was so it would stay open.  
Satisfied, Pearl walked quickly back down the route to the control rooms, and back to the White Diamond Hall.   
She silently padded her way around the throne and next to her diamond, who she hoped hadn't noticed her prolonged time away.  
"My pearl?"   
Pearl cringed, it hadn't worked.  
"Yes, my diamond?"  
"Thank you for shutting down the control units, I suppose it was your incompetence that kept you so long?"  
"Yes, my diamond."   
"A guide will come for you in a moment; I must make my own way to the meeting. Do exactly what she says and return to me when you have found your way to Blue Diamond's palace."  
Pearl nodded, although slightly scared.  
In a few moments of waiting, a small gem appeared at the huge doors at the far end of the hall. It took a good time for her to reach them, but when she did, Pearl immediately recognised her, and almost chuckled out loud.  
The little white gem formed her hands into a perfect diamond salute. "I am here to collect your pearl, and to lead her safely to where you will reconvene in Blue Diamond's court."  
Oh, Pearl thought, maybe it wasn't the same gem as she had recognised.  
White Diamond replied, "Indeed. She gets a scratch and you are shattered, do you understand? If you get into the slightest bit of danger, you are banished."  
The little gem nodded curtly and bowed, curving her small body downwards lavishly, and as she leant back up, she caught Pearl's eye, and smirked.  
Pearl blushed and almost took a step back, and fortunately her diamond was staring at a screen and hadn't seen what had happened.  
"Well then, hurry along." The matriarch said.  
Calcite stuck her tongue out at Pearl and started walking back down to the doors. Pearl hurried after her, not quite sure whether to be angry or not.  
As they grew near to the doors, one of the large white slabs was pulled open.   
Calcite didn't even pause, but strode confidently through the door, glancing left.  
In that moment she caught the eye of who she knew would be there. Blos smiled at her and watched her walk away, not even noticing Pearl a few steps behind.  
Pearl smiled at how Blos looked at Calcite, it was like the look of longing for attention when a new pearl looked up to her master.  
Pearl caught up with Calcite, who quickly turned around and giggled.  
"So you've never left this place, right?"  
Pearl but her lip and nodded, it slightly frightened her. "How do we get to Blue Diamond's kingdom?"  
"We will warp to a conjoining station, then warp to the palace. They set them up just for the occasion!"   
Pearl nodded again, trying to get her head around it. "But if you've never done this before, how will you know your way around?"   
"Well, do you know what calcites are for?"  
"No, I don't think so." Pearl admitted, following her small guide round a corner and down a few steps.  
"We design things for White Diamond! It's pretty cool! And I was able to help plan out some of the conjoining stations, it was fun!"  
Pearl stopped and looked at the excitable gem, how could she be trusted so much and also be so new? Many gems who had practical jobs needed millennia to be trusted.  
"Calcite, how old are you?"   
The gem carried on walking up to a door, and pushed it open, turning around to look at Pearl.  
"Around 50 years or so. Why do you ask?"   
"I thought that usually gems so young wouldn't be allowed to work on something so big."  
Calcite looked offended for a moment, then it cleared away.   
"I have a reputation for telling the truth, so gems know they can trust me. I also have enough energy to be good at what I do!"  
Pearl smiled at her and walked forward, supporting the door with her hand then walking through it. The two walked for a while in silence, then the little white gem spoke.  
"How old are you, Pearl?" She turned around, a grin on her face. Pearl couldn't help but answer truthfully, as it would surely be a sin to lie to a gem so sweet.  
"I don't know, I've never kept track. I was made by Yellow Diamond at the time of the last diamond meeting, though."  
Calcite's eyes shined as she looked up at Pearl excitedly. "So if we ask someone who was old enough to know when it was, then we can find out!"  
Pearl nodded, noting the 'we' in that sentence.   
They stopped at a large flat purple disk that Pearl recognised as a warp pad. She followed Calcite onto it and in a flash and some squinting from Calcite, Pearl found herself in some sort of tube, pure light surrounding them, twisting into every colour.   
And in as soon as they had arrived, they had left, and Pearl almost fell over as they landed, and her guide giggled and helped her steady herself.  
They exchanged a smile, one much more enthusiastic than the other, and Calcite led Pearl down a straight corridor. The walls had swirling patterns of blue and white, which seemed appropriate. They were beautiful.   
Very quickly they reached a large mass of gems, each scrambling and pushing to be the closest to a door far too small.  
Pearl gasped, there must have been about two hundred gems, all moving like water.   
Calcite grabbed her hand and shoved as hard as she could, past even quartz soldiers, dragging Pearl behind her, who was hit in the face so many times that she covered her gem with her free hand to protect it.  
Calcite was stronger than she looked, and they were soon reaching the front of the crowds. Pearl saw only a blur of colours. The noise around her was a blur as well, and it seemed like no time at all until the noise stopped at once, and the hand pulling her forwards stayed still, although still holding hers.  
Calcite looked up at Pearl. "We made it!"  
Pearl smiled and looked around, slightly dazed. They were in a small room with the wall in front of them covered with various screen and control pads.  
"What is your code?" Calcite asked.  
It was the first time Pearl had ever thought about it, and she realised she didn't know.  
"I don't know it." She admitted.  
Calcite sighed and thought for a moment.   
"I read a report about pearls from a really long time ago, when not every gem had a code, but only pearls had them printed onto their clothes or bodies. I have no idea if that could have happened with you." Calcite wondered aloud.  
Pearl had never heard of such a thing, and didn't know where her friend had found this report.  
But Pearl had no other ideas so she lifted up the bottom on her dress, but no writing. It was the same with any sort of flap or hanging material on her plain white leotard and skirt.  
After looking on the bottom of her white shoes, to no avail, she had a thought. She had once seen a gem taking off her shoes, for a reason Pearl did not know. So perhaps the answer could be inside.   
She slipped off her white shoes, and lifted up her gravity-connectors so she could see them.   
She tried her left one first, almost falling over, then her right. Yes! There was writing on her right one!   
Cabochon 7D9H Cut 3JY  
"What's cabochon?" Pearl asked her companion.   
"More importantly, what's that?" Calcite asked, pointing at one of Pearl's shoes. But what Pearl hadn't seen as she had blocked the light, was the inside of her shoes.  
They were bright yellow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay okay who's got a crush on Calcite?  
> Blos: raises hand  
> Pearl: raises hand  
> Milky: raises hand  
> Me: raises hand  
> (Don't take that as spoilers it's just me being tired and slightly crazy with the shipping)  
> Also I'm sorry about the amount of OCs this story has now. I didn't mean for there to be so many, but hopefully you understand that there must have been characters that played a part in Pearl's early life that we haven't met yet!   
> I don't really like this chapter at all, apart from that it has Callie in it!  
> Do you have any ideas who 'the victim' was? Because I know, and you do know the character, but I'm not going to tell you yet!!


	13. Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something happens to our little pearl, but can she figure out what before her future really changes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's the nearing the end of my StevenBomb week! Who's regretting it? Me!
> 
> \--Message for the Week--  
> Please remember to pick up where you left off and not charge in with the latest chapter because there will be a lot of updates on the way!  
> As with the actual cartoon, please return everyday this week for a new chapter, which will be much longer than usual! This will be Monday to Friday (again like a StevenBomb.)
> 
> I love comments and any continuity errors or spelling mistake information would be well received! I also love chatting about the show, so shoot me a message if you want to :)  
> I'm thinking of doing little drawings for each chapter (inspired by VonSmore ^_^), so opinions on that would be great as well!  
> Okies I'll stop rambling and let you read! Good luck! I hope you enjoy this week of fiction!

Pearl looked up from the shoe she was now holding. Her entire body and clothes were white, so why would she have been made with shoes that were yellow on the inside?  
"Hey, Pearl?"  
"Yes, Calcite?" She turned to her friend.  
"Didn't you say that you were made by Yellow Diamond?"  
Pearl nodded, but why would she have done this?  
"I think we should tell White Diamond, it could be serious!" Calcite suggested.  
"You're right," Pearl agreed, "But we have to get to the Diamond meeting first."  
Calcite nodded. "I'll go through first, see you on the other side." And with that she stepped away from Pearl and through the metal doorway on the other side of the room.  
Pearl was left, not knowing what to expect.  
Silence filled the air and she slipped her shoes back on. She breathed out slowly and repeated her code over and over in her head.  
Pearl stepped forward towards the door, and was surprised at it's weight as she pulled it open. Behind it was a corridor, wires and pipes and panels lining the walls.  
Pearl was scared, and the lack of light in the corridor and the fact she was alone didn't help.  
She started walking, and the door slammed behind her.  
"State your gem and gem code." An electronic voice made her jump.  
"P-Pearl and Cabochon 7D9H Cut 3JY." Pearl said as confidently as she could.  
She heard a buzzing noise, presumably from a machine near her, then the door at the end of the corridor opened itself, flooding light into the room, and revealing a blue tinted warp pad.  
But she had never gone on one without another gem, panic flooded her mind as she tried to work out what to do.  
The buzzing was louder than ever, and she really wondered if it was the machines.  
Pearl covered her ears.  
It sounded like screaming.  
Pearl opened her mouth, and tried to shout, and didn't know whether the scream belonged to her. She looked down through eyes filled with tears, and realised she was crouching into a ball as small as she could be.  
And then the screaming stopped.  
But not in Pearl's ears, and the silence didn't intrude immediately, the echoes of the sound still whirring in her head.  
A flash of light; the warp pad activating; activating from the other side.  
Arms wrapped around her frame and a head leant against her arm.  
"Pearl are you okay? We need to go."  
But Pearl was frozen, she couldn't move even her eyes or head. Then her breathing became faster, and she looked up, and the kind, soft face of Calcite was there. She shook her head to get rid of the tears, and stood up. Her breathing slowed, and she looked at her friend.  
"What happened?"  
"No, Pearl, what happened here? You were gone for ages, but I couldn't find you, like they designed the warp pads to only go one way, so I... nevermind."  
She reached out her arm and Pearl clutched onto it to steady herself. She was led up onto the warp pad, and in a flash of light they were in a huge room with many warp pads. Everyone seemed to be from the White Diamond colonies.  
Pearl turned around as she was hugged tightly. She looked over her shoulder and saw a blue face, tears in her eyes.  
"Pearl! You're okay!"  
"We were worried." A soft voice spoke, and Pearl looked up to see Rose Quartz, and she blushed.  
She was freed from the hug, and Pearl looked around to see Calcite, Rose Quartz, Lapis Lazuli, and Blos, who smiled at her.  
Tears filled Pearl's eyes. She was safe here.  
"I was by the warp pad, and I heard this really loud voice. Everything I did was painful and the noise was deafening. It was like it was creeping into my brain." Pearl explained. "It sounded like-"  
"Screaming." Blos muttered, looked at Pearl in the eyes, tears running down both their faces, but Blos' was stricken.  
"That's right." Pearl replied, dazed. And everyone looked between the two pearls, not understanding. But Blos had known, Blos had felt that before.  
Calcite stepped forward. "Pearl, if you're feeling alright, should we go and speak to White Diamond now?"  
Pearl nodded and tore her eyes from Blos'. She smiled at the gems around her, her friends, and followed Calcite between many groups of gems.  
What did Blos know? Surely there was something.  
They pushed past the last huddle of gems in the crowd and were in the open. Pearl had never seen so much blue. Her world was in white, but this one; this one wasn't.  
The walls, the floors, the gems; all shades of blue that calmed Pearl. Calcite tapped her arm and led her to a large doorway, similar to the one leading to the White Diamond Hall.  
Pearl breathed out deeply, there could be all four diamonds in there, or none at all. She didn't know, but she needed to speak with her diamond about her shoes.  
She swallowed and looked at Calcite for reassurance, and her friend nodded and smiled.  
Pearl raised her arm and knocked on the door clearly, and then pressed her hands flat against it.  
She pushed at the door with her body weight, and it was lighter than expected.  
She stepped inside the door, and looked up. Far ahead of her, down a pathway of blue, stood her diamond and Yellow Diamond, talking to each other.  
Pearl silently walked up the centre, step by step, and when she reached the large white foot of her diamond, she stood, waiting.  
A calm feeling washed over her, she had no reason to fear. When she stood here, she had complete trust in the matriarch. She had no worries.  
"Pearl, dance for my sister." It was her diamond who spoke.  
Pearl nodded and walked a few steps forwards, before reaching her arms above her head, and tilting her body downwards, standing of the end of her toes. Her body moved fluidly, curving in all directions, the orchestra in her mind keeping time, the pace in her body controlling her movements. The conductor she couldn't see nodded at her, and she twirled around then jumped, landing on her toes perfectly. The conductor pushed her to carry on, to move her arms and her body, moving as the water in her friend's wings, flowing and tumbling as she danced with her eyes tight closed. She ended peacefully as the invisible orchestra slowed down, one foot high in the air.  
She finished and looked up at her diamond, seeking praise or judgement.  
There was nothing, and the matriarchs continued to speak with each other too quietly for Pearl to hear.  
She sighed and waited again, slightly more impatiently this time. Thankfully, Yellow Diamond announced her departure, saying something about helping her blue sister, and left out of a door Pearl had not seen, round the corner from where they were.  
The door slammed loudly as the diamond left.  
"My diamond?"  
"Continue." She replied, although not her usual response.  
"Earlier I had the need to take off my shoes, and as I did so, I noticed a change from the white colour of the rest of my attire. For the inside of my shoes are yellow."  
There was a silence from the matriarch. Would she shout? Was she angry? What would be the consequences of this?  
But the diamond responded with, "Do not entertain yourself with such thoughts again. I made you in my image, so of course you would be white in every place."  
But Pearl took a step back, horrified. She had been dismissed. And she doubted her facts.  
"Was I not made by Yellow Diamond, my diamond?" She looked up at the gem.  
She glared downwards and bent down, grabbing Pearl with her huge hands around her waist.  
She brought her up to very close to her face. Pearl was terrified.  
"Did I ask you to speak? I do not remember telling you that you have the right to doubt me. Are you so above me that you correct me? You are offended when I dismiss your stupid thoughts?" Her diamond was angry, and her face showed it. "You are a pearl, you are to act like a pearl, and you are not to think a single thought out of line." A massive finger played with her gem, and the little gem tried to move away, tears in her eyes. "You are mine, my belonging, and any single liberty you have been allowed up to this point has now been disregarded. You are to stay and serve. If you do not want to be punished, you will do as I say, and keep that little blank head as empty as it should be, we wouldn't want you to break," she squeezed her fingers around Pearl's gem, "from all the pressure."  
From her great height, White Diamond opened her hand, letting her pearl drop to the ground. She was reduced to her gem on landing in a cloud of smoke, but she wasn't cracked or shattered.  
The matriarch smirked, maybe she would rethink her instant forgiveness. That gem was only a pearl after all.  
She placed her large foot on the round, shiny gem, and held it there, savouring that power for the first time. This was the time for a change, and any little pearl with her own thoughts that could disrupt her plan, needed to be... disposed of.  
She dug her heel into the little white gem, and it cracked open; a sharp cavernous split. Not shattered yet, but the pain would be greater this way.  
The matriarch smiled and started walking away, before stopping at the sound of a knock at the door.  
A pink body stepped round the corner, looking up at the diamond with respect, not fear.  
"White Diamond, I am here to regrettably inform you that your sister, Pink Diamond, has gone missing."  
White Diamond narrowed her eyes and walked fast towards the door Yellow Diamond left from. She stopped as she opened it.  
"Are you aware, little rose quartz, that all gems on report to other diamonds will be returned to their rightful place after this meeting?"  
Rose Quartz nodded. "I was aware of this. It will be a relief to be back where I was made to be."  
White Diamond smirked and waved a hand behind her.  
"Call a pearl to clear up that mess."  
And she left, the door slamming behind her.  
Rose Quartz ran as fast as she could, almost tripping on her dress, stumbling up the stairs, to Pearl's gem.  
"Oh no." She mumbled. "Oh no."  
She took a shuddering breath in, and stared deeply down that crack that could never be filled. There was no way to fix what had happened.  
Rose Quartz thought of Pearl, that beautiful, little, round face, shining eyes just willing for an adventure. That much spirit inside a tiny body was too much, it seemed. That little light, however small, that shone in this endless darkness for the pink gem. Pearl had lit up the spark inside her. That time she saw her drawing her weapon for the first time, she felt like a cage over her heart had been released. She was free, and she was so proud to have been able to catch a glimpse of such a gem, such a gem that was too great for these boundaries she was forced into, and she saw beyond them, into each gem's heart.  
The quartz bent low over the cracked gem, the very splinter that separated them.  
Oh but she had never told Pearl how much she meant to every gem she smiled at.  
Oh she had never thought to tell her how much Rose Quartz just wanted to wrap her arms around her and never let her go, and keep her safe and protect her until the day she herself is shattered.  
Oh how she wished she could speak with her once more.  
The tears flooded down the quartz's face, gathering at her chin and dropping onto the gem below. They seeped into that splinter, that splinter right down into Rose Quartz's heart.  
The crying gem reached down to wipe the tears away, but they hit the gem and shined.  
She gasped. The tears kept falling, sparkling as they hit that smooth surface.  
The entire gem glowed, and raised itself high in the air. The light poured from it into Rose Quartz's eyes, into every part of her.  
And the break mended, the crack healed.  
As soon as it could, the gem shined bright and long limbs stretched out of it, a head thrown back, her hair a mess.  
Rose Quartz took a shuddered breath, her eyes starry as she looked up in wonder.  
How could she have doubted that her Pearl could beat even oblivion itself.  
The figure fell to the floor, but was caught before it hit the ground by all of the Quartz's body.  
The pink gem clutched onto the white, and they weeped together, for their troubled past, for their terrifying present.  
They sobbed together, and knew that their future had changed.


	14. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose Quartz knew her love, but Pearl not not yet understands. Are Pearl's choices the right ones to make?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's the past the end of my StevenBomb week! Who didn't have enough time for it? Me!
> 
> \--Message for the Week--  
> Please remember to pick up where you left off and not charge in with the latest chapter because there will be a lot of updates on the way!  
> As with the actual cartoon, please return everyday this week for a new chapter, which will be much longer than usual! This will be Monday to Friday (again like a StevenBomb.)
> 
> I love comments and any continuity errors or spelling mistake information would be well received! I also love chatting about the show, so shoot me a message if you want to :)  
> I'm thinking of doing little drawings for each chapter (inspired by VonSmore ^_^), so opinions on that would be great as well!  
> Okies I'll stop rambling and let you read! Good luck! I hope you enjoy this week of fiction!

"Come on Pearl, we need to leave." Rose Quartz clutched onto the little white gem's shoulders, tears still in her eyes.  
"I- I am sorry," Pearl looked up at the other gem, "I must stay here."  
The pink gem was silent, in shock. Her Pearl had been cracked, she had almost lost her, and she wanted to stay? It was absurd.  
"I cannot leave my diamond, although I do wish I could stay with you." Pearl looked up into Rose Quartz's eyes, and their hands intertwined, their faces close.  
Pearl felt the angel's breath on her face, and felt so unsure being close to such perfection. She was just a pearl, but this being meant more than anything else, especially to Pearl.  
"If you leave me now, I shall return to Pink Diamond as I should and we might never see each other again." Rose Quartz said in desperation.  
The idea of letting go of Pearl for a second seemed like agony, but a lifetime would be too much, Rose Quartz might as well be shattered where she stood. How could Pearl do this to her?  
Pearl steeled herself and stood up, backing away from the other gem.  
"We shall see each other again, and I shall never leave your side, but for now, we must return to our diamonds' side and play our part."  
Rose Quartz looked at Pearl sadly. "What if you are shattered, or cracked again?"  
Pearl felt confidence rising where anxiety once had. "We shall meet again, I swear by the diamonds on it, and I shall not and cannot be hurt before then." She spoke in a loud voice.  
Rose Quartz moved closer, her breath on Pearl's face, then her lips ghosting over her own, a goodbye, but not a final one.  
Pearl stepped away, down the steps to the door.  
Rose Quartz's heart ached from that moment on, and she knew it would not cease until they met again.  
Precious, little, brave Pearl, do not be harmed.

<><><><><>

White Diamond stood in a large hall with two of her sisters. Hundreds of gems had already been sent out to search for Pink Diamond, but none had returned with anything useful.  
"Hello, my sister." White Diamond smiled eerily towards Blue Diamond, who glanced at Yellow Diamond questioningly.  
"We have already greeted each other, sister." She spoke back, confused but not showing it. White Diamond was, of course, the most powerful of the four, and the blue matriarch did not want to be on her dark side.  
"Oh," White Diamond and Yellow Diamond exchanged a glaring and slightly uncomfortable glance.  
Blue Diamond was unsure of what to think.  
"Sisters, for the safety of gemkind we share everything. What are you keeping from me?"  
Yellow Diamond answered first, "You see, sister, this White Diamond is very different to the one you and I remember. I have taken it upon myself to-"  
The room went silent as there was a tapping at the door. This was not a conversation that could be eavesdropped in on.  
Blue Diamond took charge. "Enter."  
The door opened and out of it came Yellow Pearl, who had been left outside with Blue Pearl.  
She coughed slightly and looked down, feeling the glares of two more diamonds than usual.  
"There is someone wishing to speak with White Diamond."  
"Bring them in." White Diamond spoke.  
The little yellow pearl disappeared and there was a pause before another pearl stepped around the corner. 

<><><><><>

Pearl was very scared. This was her moment and it could go very wrong.  
She stepped around the corner and felt the gazes of all three diamonds.  
She felt the obedience she was coded with slack a little under her confidence, and she looked up.  
Right into the piercing eyes of her diamond. She had never seen Blue Diamond before, or Yellow Diamond a lot, and they were clearly confused.  
"I am not often speechless, little pearl, but you have seemingly succeeded in that aspect." White Diamond turned to Yellow Diamond. "I had been informed of this special pearl that survived after being shattered, and she has done it again." She studied Pearl with her eyes, closely. "So this is the little pearl who doesn't give in, how delightfully dreadful. All the same, you will spend your time in that cell until you learn. There was currently a fierce 1st generation lapis lazuli in there, which would help. May I hold onto her for a little longer, my sister?" Blue Diamond nodded absentmindedly and so White Diamond turned back to Pearl. "That should teach you some sense. I heard about those fighting lessons, which will be cancelled when we return. It all encourages defectivity anyway, and who could teach a pearl to fight?" She laughed loudly.  
Pearl sighed and felt herself calm down, so she was back with Lapis, at least for a little while. That was the good she could take from this.

<><><><><>

A few days later, when Pink Diamond had been found, the meeting very much cancelled, White Diamond and her pearl returned to their kingdom.  
It had never seemed bland to Pearl, but the lack of colour was eerie compared to the vast shades of blues she had seen.  
On the way back, Pearl thankfully did not have to repeat her arrival, but travelled to a huge diamond warp pad with the matriarch and they warped together.  
"I will have another pearl turn back on the system controls, you must return to your cell, where you will stay until I have need of you."  
Pearl nodded politely and stepped off the warp pad, down a few steps, and into a corridor. The dungeons were outside the main palace, but Pearl didn't know it's exact position.  
She bit her lip, trying to remember, but she had never seen it on the plans. The only way she could find it was to find another gem.  
She walked and walked in desperation, and then, when approaching a corner, heard footsteps.  
But she paused, there seemed to be many more footsteps than for just one gem.  
Pearl only just managed to flatten herself against the wall as a group of amethysts ran at high speed around the corner, knocking each other over and laughing. They hadn't even noticed Pearl, or if they had, then they ignored her.  
"P- Please wait a moment!" Pearl scrambled after them.  
Only two of the group of about 10 turned around, and one turned back again. But the other one stopped.  
"Hey, I know you! You're that invincible pearl, right?"  
The rest of the group stopped and stared at Pearl.  
"U- Umm no I just need help to-"  
"Nah I recognise you! You survived being shattered twice! That's what that Citrine from database said anyway, and she heard it from a guard for the diamonds!"  
Pearl shrank down against the wall as the gems talked about her.  
"I heard she shattered a group of jaspers, and almost beat an amethyst in training."  
The purple gems chatted between them and kept talking. Pearl felt herself blush and she tried to speak.  
"I've been t- told by W- White Diamond to go to the dungeons. Could someone take me there please?"  
Pearl looked up at the tall, fighting gems. The one that recognised her earlier spoke first,  
"Yeah I'll take you, I got nowhere to be. I can try and work out how you came back from being shattered!"  
"Huh mate," a few of the others turned round to her, "She's a pearl, it's a waste of time, her mind is empty." They started walking away, their own conversations taking priority. The rest waved to their friend, "See you back at Physicals."  
The excited amethyst led the way down some stairs the way she had come, a way that Pearl didn't know.  
"So how'd you do it?"  
Pearl didn't really know what to say, she could tell the truth, but it was far too much of a secret to say about the rebellion.  
"Oh then say how you beat up the gems who kidnapped you!"  
Pearl sighed, this was going to be a long journey.

<><><><><>

The sliding of the door closing behind her was a relief for Pearl when she finally arrived. She had spun a tale about an old quartz telling her the secrets of gems who could never be shattered.  
She had to stop herself from laughing most of the time, but the amethyst hung on every word.  
She made a strangled sound as she was squeezed very tightly by Lapis, and she hugged back, so glad to be with her friend.  
And then Pearl remembered.  
"Lapis! I have something for you!"  
The blue gem looked up in surprise, and looked even more startled when Pearl's gem started glowing.  
She thought hard about that long blue rapier, and sure enough, it was in her hands a moment later.  
Lapis was frozen.  
Pearl held it out to her, but Lapis didn't move for a moment, utterly shocked.  
"Pearl, please tell me I am not imagining this."  
Pearl smiled and moved it closer to Lapis.  
"Don't worry, it really is here."  
Then something clicked, and Lapis grabbed the handle of the sword, her wings carrying her high above Pearl, and she did a few loops in the air.  
She held it in front of her in wonder and then slashed and fought fiercely against some invisible enemy.  
"Pearl!" The white gem looked up. "You're amazing!" Pearl blushed. "How did you find this?"  
"I was training in a room with many swords on one wall, and I had to choose one. I saw this and it had your code on it and was blue, so I thought it could be yours!"  
There were stars in Lapis' eyes.  
"I heard you can't train anymore, but I can train you now!"  
Pearl looked up at her excitedly, and drew her sword.  
They stood opposite each other, swords against one another.  
"The best way to fight is to fight for somebody. Think about that gem you want to protect."  
Pearl blushed, her mind immediately going to Rose Quartz.  
"Everything begins with your stance." Pearl shifted her posture to copy Lapis'. "Remember; you do it for her." Their swords clashed with a clang. "And you would do it again." Lapis sang, her voice flowing and beautiful. "You do it for her, and that's okay, now you know you can win."  
"Keep your stance wide, keep your body lowered." Pearl leapt forward to attack. "As you're moving forward, balance is the key!" Pearl steadied herself. "Right foot! Left foot! Now go even faster!" Pearl almost lost her balance and stumbled backwards as the pace increased. "And as you're moving backwards, keep your eyes on me!" Pearl adjusted her head, concentrating on Lapis.  
She understood better now, picking up the song. "Keep my stance wide, keep my body lowered." She ran forward. "As I'm moving forward," their swords clashed, the pace increasing even more.  
"Concentrate! Don't you want her to live!" Pearl steadied herself.  
"Right foot! Left foot!"  
"Yes, but put your whole body into it!" Lapis charged closer again. "Everything you have, everything you are, you've got to give!" Pearl nodded, her body moving more with her sword than before. "On the battlefield, when everything is chaos, and you have nothing but the way you feel, your strategy and a sword!" Pearl could just imagine Lapis among the soldiers, fire in her eyes. "You just think about the life you'll have, together after the war!" Pearl imagined herself with Rose, fighting then being at peace. They smiled at each other. "You do it for her, that's how you know you can win!" Their swords clashed and they spun around. "You do it for her, and that's okay, now you know you can win!"  
Pearl looked down at her weak arms as she pushed her sword against Lapis'. "Deep down, you know, you weren't built for fighting!" Neither of them were made to fight but that wouldn't stop them. "But that doesn't mean you're not prepared to try!" Pearl thought of Rose Quartz and moved faster, getting close to Lapis. "What they don't know, is your real advantage; when you live for someone, you're prepared to die!"  
Pearl nodded again and understood. "Deep down, I know, that I'm just a pearl! But I know that I can draw my sword and fight!" She charged again, their swords clanging and turning. "With my weak existence, I can make a difference! I can be there for her, I can be her knight!" She spotted an opening and held her sword against Lapis' throat. They both grinned at each other. "I can do it for her!" She knew it, she could!  
"You do it for her!" Their voices rang out together.  
"Okay now do that again!"  
"Yes ma'am!"  
Their swords fell by their sides.  
"You do it for her, and now you say..."  
"Now I know I can win!"  
Pearl's sword dissipated and Lapis put hers on the floor, and they hugged.  
"Who will you fight for?" Pearl asked.  
Lapis blushed. "Someone special, I... cannot tell you." Pearl smiled. "And you? Who will you fight for?"  
Pearl smiled and thought of that long white dress and ringlets of pink flowing hair. That angel, that angel she adored. "I shall fight for Rose Quartz."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologises again for it being late, I hope it was worth it!   
> I hope you enjoyed all the updating, and you have a great weekend ahead of you with an abundance of chocolate whether or not you celebrate Easter ^-^


	15. Mini Hiatus

Mini hiatus because of exams! Sorry!   
I'll try to be back in about a week!


	16. Yeeeeah

So... umm, haven't seen you guys in a while huh? Yeeeeeah.   
I'm so stupid sorry I've been putting off posting chapters all this time. I've written a few, but not posted them. Anxiety has been a bit shit, but I'm determined to get back in the swing of things soon.   
I'm just so super sorry really, I left it on a bit of an odd note, but there are many dark moments and lovely fluffy ones too to go.... Should be fun... If I post them...  
Make sure you're subscribed because I'm so inconsistent, and shoot me a message just to say hi, so I know you guys actually exist :/  
I'll be back soon I promise, just give me a bit of time to plan and I'll be posting again, I hope!


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